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Lillian Bassman Portrait Photography

American, 1917-2012
Born 1917, Brooklyn, New York; died 2012, Manhattan, New York. Lillian Bassman became one of the most influential fashion photographers of the 1940s and 50s while working under the tutelage of the legendary art director Alexey Brodovitch at Harper’s Bazaar. Her sense of artistry and movement redefined fashion photography and gave sophistication to what had been a fairly staid medium. In the 1970s she abandoned commercial work but continued to practice photography for the rest of her life. Bassman developed a unique style through her high-contrast black and white images and her dark room techniques in which she would blur and bleach the images, giving them a mysterious, dreamlike quality. In the 1990s she was asked to photograph the Haute Couture collection for The New York Times Magazine, marking her return to fashion photography and the renewed commercial interest in her style. Her art has enjoyed a revival that has placed her squarely at the forefront of the history of fashion art photography. Bassman’s work is held in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Center for Photography, Woodstock, New York, among others.
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Artist: Lillian Bassman
Black and White: Mary Jane Russell, Le Pavillion
By Lillian Bassman
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print Signed in pencil, verso 11 x 14 inches, sheet size 9.75 x 12.5 inches, image size This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Lillian Bassm...
Category

1950s American Modern Lillian Bassman Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Touch of Dew: Lisa Fonssagrives, New York
By Lillian Bassman
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print Signed in pencil, verso 16 x 20 inches, sheet size 14 x 18.25 inches, image size This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Lillian Bassma...
Category

1960s American Modern Lillian Bassman Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Barbara Mullen, Blowing Kiss, New York
By Lillian Bassman
Located in London, GB
Barbara Mullen, Blowing Kiss, New York Lillian Bassman Signed in ink and numbered in pencil on label affixed to reverse Silver gelatin print 40 x 30 inches From an edition of 25
Category

Mid-20th Century Lillian Bassman Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Black - With One White Glove: Barbara Mullen, Dress by Christian Dior, New York
By Lillian Bassman
Located in New York, NY
This photograph is an edition of 25 and is signed by the photographer.
Category

1950s Lillian Bassman Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Harper's Bazaar, Barbara Mullen
By Lillian Bassman
Located in New York, NY
Lillian Bassman Harper's Bazaar, Barbara Mullen, c. 1947 Vintage gelatin silver print image size: 13 x 10 1/2 inches frame size: 29 x 24 3/4 x 1 3/4...
Category

1940s Modern Lillian Bassman Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Anne Saint-Marie, New York, Chanel Advertising Campaign
By Lillian Bassman
Located in New York, NY
All editions are signed by the photographer. Availability is subject to change without notice.
Category

1950s Lillian Bassman Portrait Photography

Materials

Adhesive, Silver Gelatin

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From a portfolio of ten gelatin silver prints from original Meatyard negatives (1959-71) Printed April 1974 Edition of 130 Credit stamp, verso 7 x 7 inches, image 15 x 12 inches, mount This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “This image probably owes some of its inspiration to the abnormal characters in the stories of Flannery O’Connor’s 1955 collection, "A Good Man is Hard to Find." But Meatyard was also looking at Giorgio de Chirico and the European Surrealists and here employs their penchant for the lifeless mannequin figure. A headless dressmaker’s dummy...
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Pop Artist Jasper Johns at the Whitney Museum exhibition of his work
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Greta Garbo - Somber Head Shot by Clarence Sinclair Bull, 1931 1931 Black and white somber headshot photograph of Swedish/American actress Greta Garbo (Swedish, 1905-1990) by Clarence Sinclair Bull (American, 1896-1979). Greta Garbo gazes at the camera, her curled hair sits in front of her face. The background is black. A black and white photograph, matte finish, double-weight paper, depicting a 1931 shot of the star titled 'Mata Hari,' printed decades later from the original negative, penciled in the lower left corner "A.P.," Estate stamped and blind embossed in the lower right corner "Clarence Sinclair Bull," further blind embossed in same corner "The Kobal / Collection," verso with the photographer's black ink credit stamp, verso further with two "Edward Weston" black ink credit stamps dated "1981" and "1992," originally from the John Kobal Collection. Greta Garbo was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses of all time, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic characters, and her subtle and understated performances. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Garbo fifth on its list of the greatest female stars of classic Hollywood cinema. Clarence Sinclair Bull was born in Sun River, Montana, in 1896. His career began when Samuel Goldwyn hired him in 1920 to photograph publicity stills of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio's stars. He is most famous for his photographs of Greta Garbo, taken between 1926 and 1941. Bull's first portrait of Garbo was a costume study for the silent romantic drama film Flesh and the Devil in September 1926. Bull was able to study with the great Western painter...
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1930s Photorealist Lillian Bassman Portrait Photography

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Previously Available Items
Harper's Bazaar, Barbara Mullen
By Lillian Bassman
Located in New York, NY
Lillian Bassman Harper's Bazaar, Barbara Mullen, c. 1947 Vintage gelatin silver print 13 x 10 1/2 inches signed on verso
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1940s Lillian Bassman Portrait Photography

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Lillian Bassman portrait photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Lillian Bassman portrait photography available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Lillian Bassman in silver gelatin print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Lillian Bassman portrait photography, so small editions measuring 11 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Alan Herr, and Danny Lyon. Lillian Bassman portrait photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $8,250 and tops out at $63,270, while the average work can sell for $8,250.

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